Our Lady of Smolensk
Our journey starts with what is probably the very first icon ever written: The Virgin Hodigitria, or Одигитрия, in Russian. "She who shows the Way" is an iconographic depiction of the Theotokos holding the Child Jesus at her side while pointing to Him as the source of salvation for mankind. This icon is also called “Our Lady of the Way” in the Western church. According to tradition, this icon is said to have been painted by Saint Luke and was blessed by Our Lady who said: “My blessing will remain always with this Icon.”
The Smolensk icon is of Bizantine tradition and on it, the head of the Theotokos is covered with the maphorion (veil) and three stars: above the forehead and on the shoulders. The stars are the symbol of perpetual virginity, and are a development of the three crosses that usually accompanied the Theotokos on the more ancient icons. The archangels present in the top two corners are Michael and Gabriel. The Infant Christ sits on his mother’s lap, holding a scroll and blessing the world with his right hand.
The original icon, which was returned to Smolensk, is believed to have been destroyed by fire during the German occupation of the city in 1941. However, a great number of copies of the icon were made, including many of the most venerated of Russian icons, and one very famous one, which we know as Our Lady of Perpetual Help.
But how did this miraculous image end up in Smolensk?
This is what tradition says:
The Icon, sent by Luke to the “most excellent Theophilus” in Antioch, was first transferred to Jerusalem. During the fifth century the wife of Emperor donated the Icon as a gift to the sister of the Emperor who carried it to Constantinople
Several centuries later, in 1046, Byzantine Emperor Constantine IX gave his daughter in marriage to the son of a prince of Kiev, and used this icon to bless her on her journey.
At the beginning of the twelfth century, the Prince of Rus, transferred it to the Smolensk Cathedral in honor of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. Indeed, the prince was quite concerned as Smolensk was the most convenient way for invaders to pass into Russia. Thus, the Mother of God became the protector of Russian borders. From that time onwards, the icon was known as the Smolensk Hodigitria.
Very important battles were won, thanks to the intercession of Our Lady of the Way, including this one:
In 1812, Napoleon enters Russia, with the intent to spread his revolutionary and freemason ideas. The tsar at the time, Alexander I, does not want these ideas penetrating Russia and leads his army into battle. Before one of the most important battles, the battle of Smolensk, the Russians invoked the ‘Hodigitria of Smolensk’ to come to their aid. On the Feast of Our Lady of the Snows, on August 5, 1812, the Russians carried a copy of the Icon with them to the camp. Before the battle, the Icon was taken around the camp to bless and strengthen the moral of the troops. The original Hodigitria, together with the Iveron Icon and Vladimir Icon, were carried in procession through the streets of Moscow and to the sick and wounded in the Lefortovsky Court. General Kutusov is also said to have toured the Russian Army preceded by the Virgin of Smolensk, with Orthodox priests praying and sprinkling the faithful with holy water.
Despite having lost the battle of Smolensk and suffered a high number of casualties, the Russians were eventually successful at halting Napoleon’s advance. Our Lady was credited for having protected the Russian Army and Nation, not only in winning the war, but in stopping the ideas of the French Revolution from entering Her protected nation.
